“If you’re in a con game and you’re not sure who the mark is… it’s you.”

NEW: House Judiciary Cmte Democrats launch probe into alleged "slush fund" used by Kash Patel to pay bonuses to some agents Dems allege significant $ went to Patel "Payback Squad", which pursued political targets They say fund constitute "gross mismanagement of public funds"

Reporter: Now, in terms of the $300 billion investment fund that’s being discussed, what are your thoughts on that? Graham: My thoughts are that rebuilding Iran with the people in charge today is a bit problematic for me. To get this investment fund, I think they have to fundamentally change who they are and how they behave. Count me in the skeptical column.

My latest: Ukraine Is Winning This spring, the stalemate on the battlefield has shifted in Ukraine's favor, complementing other Ukrainian victories in the war. michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p…

During his time as a senator, Trump DHS chief Markwayne Mullin tried to downplay FDA concerns about the severe health risks linked to kratom. He never mentioned his financial investment in a kratom company that stood to benefit from the changes he recommended — until it was included in financial records that emerged after his Cabinet nomination. nytimes.com/2026/06/15/us/po…

The US secretly approved a financial and maritime arrangement between Qatar and Iran, under which billions of dollars were paid to Tehran in exchange for free passage for Qatari tankers and ships through the Strait of Hormuz, three diplomatic officials now confirm. This was a deliberate and conscious course of action by the US administration, which allowed its navy to turn a blind eye to the arrangement, in complete contradiction of its declared policy. The move was intended to ease the crisis in global energy markets and curb rising oil prices. israelhayom.com/2026/06/15/t…

YOUVE GOTTA BE JOKING

President Trump is losing support among key constituencies that his Republican Party needs in order to retain control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, according to a new national NBC News poll. nbcnews.com/politics/2026-el…

The White House cage fight was spectacular—and spectacularly corrupt motherjones.com/politics/202…

As Ukraine tightens the grip on Russian logistics, Russia's mainstream military commentators enter panic mode, not only predicting a collapse at the front, but fighting among Russian society as the situation deteriorates.

REMINDER: Social Security does not add a penny to the federal debt. It has its own dedicated revenue, cannot spend a penny unless it has sufficient dedicated revenue to cover the cost of all benefits and associated administrative costs, and has no borrowing authority.

Ukraine moves to arm its F-16s with the German IRIS-T, the same missile it already fires from the ground for air defense. On the jets, that missile would also enter the air war. Diehl Defence said it is preparing the integration — United24. 1/

"Trump’s claims that the ballroom would go up with zero taxpayer spending were a total lie...Tens of millions of public funds have already gone into the project...internal cost estimates have been significantly higher than officials acknowledged." open.substack.com/pub/thebul…

A federal judge Tuesday rejected the Trump Justice Department’s attempt to defend Ohio’s restrictive new voting law, finding its proposed filing redundant, disconnected and too late to help the court ahead of a major hearing next week. democracydocket.com/news-ale…

Narrator: There is no “American church.”

Trying to think of another moment in history when a president announced a "historic deal", praised it endlessly, but didn't actually release the text of the agreement. Can you think of something similar in history?

Trump named his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, his “special envoy for peace,” shortly before dispatching him and Witkoff to lead the administration’s disastrous negotiations with Iran. So far, it seems like all he's brought is a mind-boggling array of ethical conflicts. motherjones.com/politics/202…

Donald Trump is a con artist. He swore this ballroom wouldn't cost taxpayers a cent. He lied.